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| Congo | Introduction | Back to Top |
Congo, Democratic Republic of the or Congo-Kinshasa, nation in central Africa, a vast country of dense forests traversed by the powerful Congo River. Rich in natural resources, the country is nonetheless economically stunted due to decades of misrule in the second half of the 20th century, under dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. The region was first united as the Congo Free State, a colony created by Belgian king Leopold II in the late 19th century. The colony was called the Belgian Congo from 1908 until 1960, when it gained independence as the Republic of the Congo. Its name was changed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1964 and then to Zaire in 1971.
| Congo | Provinces | Back to Top |
10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and one city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu.
| Congo | People | Back to Top |
The DRC has a population (2001 estimate) of 53,624,718, with a density of 23 persons per sq km (59 per sq mi). Largely rural, the population is concentrated in the eastern highlands and along rivers. Only about 30 percent of the population lives in cities. In 1998 the DRC also had a refugee population of about 240,300, many of whom were exiles from instability in Rwanda. The remainder were Burundians, Angolans, and Sudanese, all fleeing upheavals in their countries. Meanwhile, about 252,400 DRC citizens had taken refuge in neighboring countries.
Bantu speakers form a majority of the country's population and occupy about two-thirds of its area. They include the Luba, Mongo, Kongo, Lunda, and Kasai peoples. Among non-Bantu speakers are Sudanese groups of the north (including the Azande, Mangbetu, Banda, and Barambo) and the Nilotic peoples of the northeast. The Pygmies, the earliest settlers, who came perhaps in late Paleolithic times, inhabit forest and river sites about the country. More than 200 languages and dialects are spoken in Zaire. Swahili, Tshiluba (Kiluba), Lingala, and Kikongo are the four national languages. They are used in local trading and radio broadcasting. French is the official language and the language of instruction, business, administration, and international communications. Lingala is the official language of the military and is widely spoken in Kinshasa. In religious affiliation, Roman Catholics predominate, followed by Protestants and members of a local Christian sect, the Church of Simon Kimbangu.
| Congo | History | Back to Top |
The early history of what is now the DRC is still largely unknown. The earliest inhabitants of the Congo Basin are believed to have been pygmies. Bantu groups moved into the area from the north and spread east and south beginning about 2,000 years ago. The northern Bantu groups settled in stateless communities in the rain forest. The Nilo-Saharan-speaking groups of the far north formed hierarchical systems with complex judicial structures. In the southern savanna zone, the Luba, Lunda, and other Bantu groups set up centralized kingdoms by 1500.
The first known state to emerge in what is now Zaire was the Luba kingdom, located in the Katanga (Shaba) region. The Luba kingdom was created in the 16th century when a warrior named Kongolo subdued the small chiefdoms in the area and established a highly centralized state. To the northwest was the Kuba, a federation of numerous chiefdoms that reached its peak in the 18th century. The Kongo and Lunda kingdoms, which straddled Zairean territory, are more properly considered in the history of Angola.
In November 1965 a military coup took place in which General Mobutu Sese Seko overthrew President Joseph Kasavubu. Mobutu was able to restore political stability to the Congo, and by 1967 the Katanga rebellion had also been quelled. Under Mobutu, the name of the country was changed to Zaire in 1971. In 1977 and 1978 Katangese rebels operating from Angola invaded the Shaba region but were repelled. By the late 20th century, the economic mismanagement and political corruption of Mobutu's regime had devastated the Zairean infrastructure and economy to the point that the country had one of the lowest standards of living in the world.
| Congo | Culture | Back to Top |
Surviving national folk traditions in Zaire are evident in pottery and the weaving of raffia, in ceremonial dress and costumes, in dancing styles, and in songs. Zaireans still create such traditional objects as masks, figurines, and stone- and nail-studded statues. A unique popular music mixes traditional rhythms and instruments borrowed from other cultures, civilizations, and continents. Zairean music, popular all over Africa, has given birth to a great variety of specific dance steps and styles.
There are vast differences between the modern, urban way of life and traditional rural cultures in the DRC. Belgium began to colonize the region in the late 19th century, which led to urbanization, adaptation to foreign ideas and values, and the loss of local traditions for many. Modern and traditional values and practices remain at odds in the DRC, despite attempts by former President Mobutu Sese Seko to promote African authenticity over Western customs.
| Congo | Life | Back to Top |
There are vast differences between the modern, urban way of life and traditional rural cultures in the DRC. Belgium began to colonize the region in the late 19th century, which led to urbanization, adaptation to foreign ideas and values, and the loss of local traditions for many. Modern and traditional values and practices remain at odds in the DRC, despite attempts by former President Mobutu Sese Seko to promote African authenticity over Western customs.
| Congo | Land | Back to Top |
Zaire occupies the heart of the Congo River basin, which comprises about three-fifths of the country's total area. The cuvette (central basin), a major depression in the northwestern quarter of the country, is formed as the Congo River turns from its northerly course to arch west above the Equator, then turns southwestward toward the Atlantic Ocean. High plateaus rise in every direction from the central basin. In the northeast and east they rise to elevations between 3,000 and 4,000 feet (900 and 1,200 m) before merging with the Mitumba Mountains at the western rim of the Rift Valley and rising above 16,000 feet (5,000 m) in the Ruwenzori Range astride the Ugandan border in the northeast. The plateaus to the south and southeast culminate in the mountain peaks of Shaba Plateau, rising to 5,250 feet (1,600 m) in the extreme southeast between Zambia and Tanzania. At Zaire's narrow strip of Atlantic coast the Congo River empties into the sea.
| Congo | Plants and Animal | Back to Top |
The DRC’s vegetation is extremely rich and diverse. Most of the northern two-thirds of the country is covered in dense rain forest. Rubber trees of various species, coffee, cotton, and oil palms are indigenous. Among the native fruit trees are banana, coconut palm, and plantain. Timber trees occur abundantly. Species include teak, ebony, African cedar, mahogany, iroko, and redwood. In all, about 60 percent (2000) of the country’s total area is forested. Animal life is abundant and varied. Larger mammals found in the forests include elephants, gorillas, buffalo, chimpanzees, hippopotamuses, and okapis, rare relatives of giraffes that are found only in the Congo Basin. Important savanna mammals include lions, leopards, giraffes, zebras, and wolves, as well as elephants, hippopotamuses, and chimpanzees. Very rare mountain gorillas live in the mountains in the far east. Mambas, pythons, and crocodiles are among the numerous reptiles. Among the many species of birds are parrots, pelicans, flamingos, cuckoos, sunbirds, herons, and plovers.
| Congo | Economy | Back to Top |
The DRC is potentially one of Africa’s richest states, with extensive agricultural, mineral, and energy resources. However, instability after independence in 1960 contributed to a sluggish economy that grew only about 1 percent a year until the mid-1980s. Nationalization, corruption, inexperience, heavy borrowing, a deteriorating infrastructure, and inappropriate development took a high toll throughout the 32-year regime of Mobutu (1965-1997). The country dropped from having one of Africa’s highest standards of living to one of its lowest. In 1990 the DRC’s gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated to be $8.1 billion ($220 per capita).
Agricultural activity is largely subsistence-oriented and accounts for one-fourth of the gross domestic product (GDP); it employs about two-thirds of the nation's workforce, however, many of them utilizing primitive, traditional farming methods. Export crops include coffee, palm products, tea, cocoa, rubber, and cotton. Of its basic foodstuffs, the country produces most of its cassava but only a small portion of its corn (maize) and rice; bananas are also grown. Forests cover more than three-fourths of the total land area but are mostly untapped as an economic resource. Most of the lumber produced is used domestically.
The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The new government instituted a tight fiscal policy that initially curbed inflation and currency depreciation, but these small gains were quickly reversed when the foreign-backed rebellion in the eastern part of the country began in August 1998. The war has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue and has increased external debt. Foreign businesses have curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict and because of increased government harassment and restrictions. The war has intensified the impact of such basic problems as an uncertain legal framework, corruption, raging inflation, and lack of openness in government economic policy and financial operations. A number of IMF and World Bank missions have met with the government to help it develop a coherent economic plan but associated reforms are on hold.
| Congo | Communications | Back to Top |
Domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
| Congo | Languages | Back to Top |
More than 200 languages are spoken in the DRC. French is the official language and principal business language. Four African languages are also widely spoken: Swahili in the east, Kikongo in the area between Kinshasa and the coast, Tshiluba in the south, and Lingala along the Congo River. Some 72 percent of the DRC’s people are nominally Christians, primarily Roman Catholics, who account for about 52 percent of the total population. Most of the rest adhere to traditional African beliefs. Syncretic sects, which combine practices of different religions, have significant numbers of adherents. One of the most popular sects is Kimbanguism, which fuses Christian and traditional elements. There is also a small Muslim community.
| Congo | Politics | Back to Top |
Democratic Social Christian Party or PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR [leader NA]; Unified Lumumbast Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans or UFERI [Kouyoumba MUCHULI Mulembe]
| Congo | Government | Back to Top |
After the Congo received its independence from Belgium in 1960, it experienced five years of political turmoil. In 1965 army chief of staff Joseph Désiré Mobutu (later Mobutu Sese Seko) seized power in a coup. For 32 years Mobutu ran a corrupt, undemocratic regime, concentrating power in the executive branch and favoring those loyal to him. His party, the Popular Movement for the Revolution (Mouvement Populaire de la Révolution, or MPR), became the sole legal political party, and dissidents were suppressed. In May 1997 rebels led by Laurent Kabila seized control of the country and overthrew Mobutu. Kabila suspended the constitution and declared himself president. Kabila was assassinated in January 2001.
| Congo | organization | Back to Top |
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO.
| Congo | Education | Back to Top |
Founded by European and American missionaries, the Congolese education system still depends on missionary schools to provide a significant amount of public education. Although six years of primary education is officially compulsory, only 70 percent of primary school-age children attended school in 1996. Attendance at secondary school has risen since independence, but is still only 30 percent of those of eligible age. The nation has four universities, two in Kinshasa and one each at Lubumbashi and Kisangani, and a number of teacher-training colleges and technical institutes. The universities had a total enrollment of about 61,000 in the early 1990s. The adult literacy rate in 2001 was 82.7 percent (89.1 percent for men and 76.4 percent for women).
| Congo | Defence | Back to Top |
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Special Presidential Security Group
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 11,615,554 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 5,915,251 (2001
| Congo | International Disputes | Back to Top |
Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the grip of a civil war that has drawn in military forces from neighboring states, with Uganda and Rwanda supporting the rebel movements that occupy much of the eastern portion of the state; most of the Congo river boundary with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite.
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